Despite my grim expression in the photo above, I woke up this morning in a pretty good mood--pleasant reverberation from last night, when K whipped up an incredible Hungarian Mushroom soup and we watched "Christmas in Connecticut" (we've been seriously slacking on Christmas flicks this year--this is our second, after Christmas Vacation--K's choice--which I had never seen).

I'd wholeheartedly recommend the 1945 film about a clever magazine writer who has found fame and fortune pretending to be a happy housewife and gourment cook on a farm in Connecticut. When her Publisher requests that she welcome a heroic sailor into her home for the Holidays she manages to drum up a makeshift family and a Connecticut farm, but chaos inevitably ensues. To be clear, I am not recommending the 1992 remake directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not sure what to say about that.


(dress: charlotte russe; tights: GAP; boots: ALDO; cardigan: old navy; belt: thrifted; necklace: DIY)

Even more wholeheartedly, I recommend finding a man who knows how to make a mushroom sing. Not literally (I'd leave that one to VeggieTales), but it makes life so very mm oh yes yum delicious when you experience something so sumptuously savory as Hungarian Mushroom soup. I swear, K is a Gourmet, and if I had made this very same soup it may or may not have been entirely unpalatable... but here goes:

HUNGARIAN MUSHROOM SOUP


(via AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
1 tablespoon paprika
(I know K didn't use paprika, because we don't have any!)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups chicken (veggie!) broth
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 more minutes. Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a separate small bowl, whisk the milk and flour together. Pour this into the soup and stir well to blend. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Finally, stir in the salt, ground black pepper, lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Mix together and allow to heat through over low heat, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not boil. Serve immediately with local ciabatta bread to your patiently waiting girlfriend and watch her love you even more.

Another nice thing about having a boyfriend who cooks for you is that you don't know just how much butter is going into the pot and can therefore pretend that it's healthy because it is soup (and in this case I was pretty sure that it was just too creamy to be good for me). However, according to AllRecipes.com, one serving of this soup has only 200 calories! Yes, please & Merry Christmas (& more cookies for me).